Hi, readers! It's De' Laydee Divine, coming at you with yet another dose of Truth Tuesdays. Anything and everything is discussed in this series, and nothing is off-limits. Now, be forewarned: my purpose for writing is not to sugarcoat anything, but to deliver the truth as it is. Your jimmies may be rustled by some of my future topics (hell, maybe even tonight's topic), but that's okay. The truth is the truth- and often, it's a hard pill to swallow. Don’t like the truth? It’s cool. I’ve got some lumber, a hammer, and nails for you, so you can build a bridge and get over it. ~_^

Did you guys miss me? Tell the truth- it is Truth Tuesday, after all. (~_^) (*giggles*) I know I missed you guys terribly, but the hiatus was necessary. Nevertheless, I'm back- in full effect- and ready to hit you guys with some truth tonight. The picture above should let you guys know EXACTLY how deep I'm ready to go into this. I've got my claws out and ready...

Tonight's topic? To put it simply: haters. Now, there is a purpose for my putting this in quotation marks in the title. It's because there is a common misconception among many that any form of criticism is a form of hatred. To put it simply:

Let's pause for a second, and examine the situation. The majority of the people who claim this have done absolutely nothing worthy to be hated on. To put it simply, no one is hating on you because you spent your measly wages on someone else's hair to get sewn in your head for you to call your own. No one is hating on your government-assistance bought residence. No one is hating on the name brand outfit you bought that some poor factory worker got paid less than decent wages for. No one is hating on your job that pays you barely enough to pay your rent. NO ONE IS HATING ON YOU. PERIOD. Some may be projecting their anger about their current situations in your general direction, but it's not YOU they hate. It's themselves.

Sadly, many of us live with this "crabs-in-a-bucket" mentality, where we think that everyone is our competition, so we seek to pull them down in order to elevate ourselves. This mentality has been so widely accepted, we immediately assume that any form of criticism towards any aspect of our lives is a form of hatred. No matter how constructive the criticism may be, the assumption is made that it's just meant to bring us down, due to this attitude that has been adopted.

If someone (nicely) tells you, "Hey, I think that maybe you shouldn't [do "XYZ"]", why get defensive? Why unfairly brand them with a label, when they only sought to assist you? It's because the majority of the people who would be quick to call someone a hater utterly refuse to hold themselves accountable, for anything. They don't want to look inside of themselves and rectify what it is that is generating the criticism, so in response, they cop out of doing so by calling the criticizer a "hater".

You want to see hatred? Try standing up for a cause that you believe in, that many wouldn't stand for. (Gay marriage, gender equality, etc.) Try starting a business from the ground up. Try living a lifestyle that is less that popular with mainstream culture. I bet you would be singing a different tune.

I say all of that, to say this: those who genuinely have haters don't acknowledge them, because they're too busy with the greatness that they're achieving. If you have the time to consistently complain about a hater, you may want to examine your life to make you're actually doing something worth hating on.

This has been Truth Tuesdays, with yours truly. Until next time... De'Laydee Divine, signing off. <3